CN106556333B

CN106556333B - Method and sensor device for determining the position of a measured object

Info

Publication number: CN106556333B
Application number: CN201510621735.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 茅昕辉; 肖春
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-09-25
Filing date: 2015-09-25
Publication date: 2020-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2035-09-25
Also published as: CN106556333A

Abstract

A method and sensing device for determining several positions on a measured object (rotating shaft) uses a sensing element to sense a plurality of positions of the measured object during movement, each position corresponding to a signal value, and determines the local position of the measured object and the local signal value corresponding to the local position; the sensing device senses and outputs changed signal values corresponding to the movement of the measured object, and the processing device compares the sensed signal values with local signal values and is used for judging whether the measured object reaches the next positioning or the previous positioning. The invention adopts the mode of measuring the moving direction of the object to pre-judge the next moving position, and calculates the next position instead of measuring the absolute value of each position by measuring the change value, thereby avoiding the error caused by the inevitable factors such as mechanical tolerance, temperature drift, mechanical abrasion and the like, improving the measuring accuracy of the sensing device and meeting the requirement of high precision.

Description

Method and sensor device for determining the position of a measured object

Technical Field

The present invention relates to automotive transmission systems, and more particularly to a method of positioning and sensing devices for sensing multiple gears of a transmission.

Background

Position sensing devices have been widely used in various industrial fields, such as automobile control systems. Since it is necessary to determine the shift stage position in the start-stop system to allow the TCU to determine whether the engine is off or operating while in forward or reverse when in the current state, an associated stage sensing device is required. The sensing devices are arranged on the gearbox, the sensing magnet is arranged on the gear shifting rod rotating shaft, and the magnet is driven by the rotation of the gear shifting rod rotating shaft when the gear is shifted and the linear movement (or rotation) of the gear shifting rod rotating shaft when the gear is selected, so that the sensing devices sense the gear.

In the prior art, no matter how high-precision industrial design and manufacture are, certain precision tolerance is caused by part machining error, magnet magnetic attenuation, mounting process difference and the like, and sensing errors are caused by unavoidable factors such as temperature drift, mechanical abrasion and the like, so that the measurement accuracy of the position sensing device is reduced, and the requirement of high precision cannot be met.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a plurality of positions on a rotating shaft, the specific technical solution is as follows:

a method for determining the position of a movement of an object to be measured (a shaft), which, when in movement, has a plurality of positions P (i) (1, 2., m) which are adjacent in succession and which can be moved from a local position P (i) to a subsequent position P (i +1) or to a preceding position P (i-1), each position P (i) corresponding to a signal value N (i) (1, 2., m),

the method comprises the following steps:

determining a local positioning P (i) of a measured object and a local signal value N (i) corresponding to the local positioning P (i);

when the measured object moves from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), the changed signal value N is sensed and output corresponding to the movement of the measured object;

comparing the sensed signal value N with a local signal value N (i) for determining whether the object to be measured moves from the local position P (i) to the next position P (i +1) or from the local position P (i) to the previous position P (i-1);

and judging whether the measured object reaches the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

The method as described hereinbefore, further comprising the steps of:

the initial signal values N ° (i) (i ═ 1, 2.. multidot.m) of the measured object at each position p (i) are stored.

The method as hereinbefore described, comprising the steps of:

after confirming that the measured object moves from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1), comparing the changed signal value N with the signal value N (i +1) corresponding to the next positioning P (i +1), and when the changed signal value N is equal to the signal value N (i +1) or within a preset difference range, determining that the measured object reaches the next positioning P (i + 1); or

After confirming that the measured object moves from the local positioning P (i) to the previous positioning P (i-1), comparing the changed signal value N with the signal value N (i-1) corresponding to the previous positioning P (i-1), and determining that the measured object reaches the previous positioning P (i-1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the signal value N (i-1) or within a preset difference range.

The method as hereinbefore described, comprising the steps of:

and judging whether the object to be measured is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

The method as hereinbefore described, comprising the steps of:

setting the signal value corresponding to the change of the last location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) of the measured object as a local output value N (local),

and judging whether the local output value N (local) is unchanged within a preset time period or not, wherein the local output value N (local) is used for determining whether the measured object is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

The method as hereinbefore described, comprising the steps of:

and when the residence time of the measured object at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1) is judged to be at least a preset time period, determining that the measured object is in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

As described above, when the signal value n (i) (

j

1, 2.. said m) is constant for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the object under test is in a stable state at the corresponding location p (i) (

i

1, 2.. said m).

As described above, if the object to be measured moves from the local position P (i) to the subsequent position P (i +2) via the subsequent position P (i +1), it is determined that the object to be measured does not reach a steady state at the subsequent position P (i +1), or if the object to be measured moves from the local position P (i) to the previous position P (i-2) via the previous position P (i-1), it is determined that the object to be measured does not reach a steady state at the previous position P (i-1);

and judging whether the object to be measured is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2).

In the method as described above, when it is determined that the retention time of the object to be measured in the next location P (i +2) or the previous location P (i-2) is at least the predetermined time period, it is determined that the object to be measured is in a stable state in the next location P (i +2) or the previous location P (i-2).

As in the method described above, the predetermined period of time is 100 ms.

The method as hereinbefore described, comprising the steps of:

and when the measured object is confirmed to be in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), generating an indicating signal to indicate that the measured object is positioned at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

The method as described hereinbefore, further comprising the steps of:

when the measured object is confirmed to be in a stable state from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), determining the local output value N (local) of the measured object at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1);

the local output value N (local) corresponding to the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) is stored.

The method as described hereinbefore, further performing the steps of:

while retaining the previous local output value N (local) and the new local output value N (local).

The method as described hereinbefore, further performing the steps of:

the previous local output value N (local) is updated to the new local output value N (local).

As in the method described above, at each location p (i) (1, 2., m) an event e (i) (1, 2., m) needs to be processed, the following steps are also performed:

when the measured object leaves the local location P (i), but before the measured object reaches the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1), the event E (i +1) or E (i-1) is prepared in advance.

As in the method described above, in the case of the positioning p (i) (1, 2.., m), the event Ei (i) (1, 2.., m) needs to be processed, the following steps are also carried out:

when the difference between the sensed signal value N and the local signal value N (i) reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the event E (i +1) or E (i-1) is ready to be processed.

The method as described above, the object to be measured is a shift spindle of an automatic transmission vehicle;

the plurality of positions of the shift spindle are four positions of the automatic transmission vehicle: p, R, N, D or five positions of the automatic transmission vehicle: p, R, N, D, S;

when the shift shaft leaves the R positioning direction and is positioned towards the P positioning direction, preparing to lower the accelerator and the brake hook; or

When the shift shaft leaves the P positioning direction to the R positioning direction and reaches the R positioning direction, starting to open the electromagnetic oil valve;

when the shift shaft is moved away from the N position to the D position, the vehicle is ready to start and the throttle is increased.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for sensing the motion of the moving object, which has the following specific technical scheme:

a sensor device for sensing the position of a measurement object (shaft) in motion, which measurement object has a plurality of positions P (i) (1, 2., m) which are adjacent in sequence and can be moved from a local position P (i) to a subsequent position P (i +1) or to a previous position P (i-1), wherein for each position P (i) a signal value N (i) (1, 2., m) is assigned,

the sensing device includes:

a sensing element that senses a movement of a magnet device provided on a measured object and generates a signal value N that changes in proportion to a movement stroke of the measured object to indicate a movement position of the measured object; when the measured object moves from the local position P (i) to the next position P (i +1) or the previous position P (i-1), the sensing element outputs a changed signal value N; and

a processing device; the processing device is connected with the sensing element, determines a local positioning P (i) of the measured object and a local signal value N (i) corresponding to the local positioning P (i), and compares the sensed signal value N with the local signal value N (i) for judging whether the measured object moves from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) or from the local positioning P (i) to the previous positioning P (i-1);

the processing device judges whether the measured object reaches the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

The sensing device as described above, the processing device being provided with a storage circuit (503) for storing the signal value n (i) (i ═ 1, 2.., m);

the sensing element is a Hall sensing circuit.

The sensing device as described above, wherein the processing device compares the changed signal value N with the next signal value N (i +1), and determines that the measured object reaches the next location P (i +1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the next signal value N (i +1) or within a predetermined difference; or

The processing means compares the changed signal value N with the previous signal value N (i-1) and determines that the object under test has reached the previous location P (i-1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the previous signal value N (i-1) or within a predetermined difference.

As in the sensing device described above, the processing device determines whether the signal value N corresponding to the change of the subsequent location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) of the object to be measured remains unchanged for a predetermined period of time, thereby determining whether the object to be measured is in a stable state after reaching the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

As in the sensing device described above, the processing device determines whether the object to be measured is in a stable state at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

As described above, when the processing device determines that the retention time of the object to be measured at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) is at least the predetermined time period, the sensing device determines that the object to be measured is in a stable state at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

The sensing device as described above, wherein the sensing element senses the velocity of the object to be measured when reaching the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1); when the speed is zero, the processing device determines that the measured object is in a stable state at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

As in the sensing apparatus described above, when the processing apparatus determines that the signal value N remains unchanged for a predetermined period of time, the processing apparatus determines the location p (i) (i ═ 1, 2.., m) where the object under test reaches the steady state.

The sensing device as described above, wherein the processing device determines the speed of the object to be measured moving from the local position P (i) to the next position P (i +1), or the speed of the object to be measured moving from the local position P (i) to the previous position P (i-1); when the speed is not zero, the processing device determines that the measured object does not stay at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1); the processing device judges whether the position P (i +2) after the object to be measured arrives or the position P (i-2) before the object to be measured arrives is in a stable state.

As described above, when the processing device determines that the stay time of the object to be measured in the next location P (i +2) or the previous location P (i-2) is at least the predetermined period of time, the processing device determines that the object to be measured in the next location P (i +2) or the previous location P (i-2) is in the steady state.

As mentioned above, when the processing device determines that the measured object is in a stable state at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1), the processing device generates an indication signal indicating that the measured object is located at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

As mentioned above, when the measured object reaches the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) from the local location P (i), the processing device determines and stores the local output value N (local) of the measured object at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

As in the sensing means described above, the processing means simultaneously retains the previous output value N (i) and the new local output value N (local).

As in the sensing apparatus described above, the processing means updates the previous output value N (i) to the new local output value N (local).

As in the case of the sensor device described above, the processing device stores the initial signal values N ° (i) (i ═ 1, 2.., m) of the measured object at each position p (i).

The invention adopts the mode of measuring the moving direction of the gear to pre-judge the moving position of the next moving object (rotating shaft), and calculates the next position instead of measuring the absolute value of each position by measuring the change value, thereby avoiding the error of sensing caused by inevitable factors such as mechanical tolerance, temperature drift, mechanical abrasion and the like, improving the measuring accuracy of the position sensing device and meeting the requirement of high precision.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the signal output of the present invention for sensing shaft motion;

FIG. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a sensing device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B is the schematic diagram of the shift lever moving at P, R, N, D position according to the present invention

FIG. 3 is a schematic processing route of the sensing device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of the analog signal sensed by the sensor of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of the processing apparatus of the present invention processing an analog signal into a linear function signal;

FIG. 6C is a flow chart of a method of the present invention for determining a plurality of positions on a shaft 100;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of the movement of the shaft 101 from the local position Pi to the next position P (i +1) and/or the previous position P (i-1) according to the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of the movement of the shaft 101 from the local position Pi to the last positions P (i + N) and/or the first positions P (i-N) according to the present invention;

FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram illustrating the pre-processing of the shaft 101 before moving from the local position Pi to the last position P (4) and/or the first position P (1).

FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram of data update after the signal values of the shaft 101 appear cheap according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It is to be understood that although directional terms, such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., may be used herein to describe various example structural elements and components of the invention, these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are intended to be based on the example orientations shown in the figures. Because the disclosed embodiments of the invention can be arranged in a variety of orientations, these directional terms are used for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numbers used herein refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of signal output of the sensing shaft movement of the present invention, and fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of the sensing device structure of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2A, the shaft 101 is a shift shaft of an automatic transmission vehicle, and generally has four gears: p, R, N and D gears, or five gears: the gears P, R, N, D and S are exemplified by four gears as an embodiment, and the case of five gears is still applicable to the method and apparatus of the present invention, and the principle is the same as that of 4 gears, and thus the description is omitted. The shaft 101 rotates back and forth in the direction of arrow a during a shifting operation, and its gears are shifted back and forth among four gears P, R, N and D. A magnet device 102 is fixed to the shaft 101, and the magnet device 102 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 101. A sensing device 103, i.e., a hall sensor 103, is disposed near the magnet device 102, the sensing device 103 can sense a change in magnetic field caused by the movement of the magnet device 102 when the magnet device 102 moves, and the sensing device 103 generates a signal that varies in correspondence with the movement stroke of the shaft 101 by sensing the movement of the magnet device 102 to indicate the rotational position of the shaft 101.

The sensing means 103, which may be a hall element, may sense the motion change of the back and forth movement of the shaft 101, which results in a signal of sin/cos change curve as shown in fig. 6A. The sensing device 103 sends the signal to the processing device 104, and the processing device 104 performs digital-to-analog conversion on the signal and then processes the signal into a linear function signal as shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the abscissa in fig. 1 represents the rotation angle θ of the shaft 101, wherein the four positioning positions are the positions of the four gears P, R, N and D in sequence; the vertical axis represents the output of a signal value N, which may be represented by a voltage value V or a signal of PMW of different duty cycles (e.g., 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% duty cycle). Wherein there are four signal values corresponding to the four gears P, R, N and D: n (1), N (2), N (3) and N (4), respectively, and in the linear function of the signals, four signal values of N (1), N (2), N (3) and N (4) correspond to four fixed positioning positions P (1), P (2), P (3) and P (4), i.e., A, B, C, D four points on the linear function in fig. 1. Of course, the four positions P (1), P (2), P (3) and P (4) correspond to the four gear positions P, R, N and D at the same time, and the sequence is also fixed. By determining whether the signal values reach N (1), N (2), N (3) and N (4), i.e., A, B, C, D four points in the graph, it is possible to determine whether the shaft 101 reaches four shift positions P, R, N and D.

For example, when the positioning value is P (2) in fig. 1, i.e. the signal value is B in fig. 1, it can be moved to position P (1) along direction 702 in fig. 7A, or moved to position P (3) or position P (4) along direction 701; similarly, the position P (1) as the leftmost position in the figure can only be moved to the next position P (2) or positions P (3) and P (4) rearward along the direction 701; position P (3) forward position along direction 702 may move to positions P (2) and P (1), and backward position along direction 701 may move to P (4); position P (4) can only be positionally moved forward in direction 702 to P (3), P (2), and P (1).

In addition, the invention can also calculate the time of the measured object 101 from the local position P (i) to the next position P (i +1) or to the previous position P (i-1), and can determine the speed of the measured object 101 from the local position P (i) to the next position P (i +1) or to the previous position P (i-1).

In the figure, a shift lever 202 is connected to the shaft 101 in fig. 2A, and rotation of the shaft 101 causes the shift lever 202 to move in parallel in the direction of arrow B, and the shift lever 202 has a plurality of shift positions: p, R, N and D gears in turn, each having one

mechanical position

206, 207, 208 and 209 at which the shift lever 202 can be positioned, the linear motion of the shift lever 202 in these multiple mechanical positions being converted into a rotational motion of the shaft 101, the sensing device 200 sensing the positioning of the shift lever 2022 even when it is moved in parallel in the direction of arrow B.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a sensing device according to the present invention;

the sensing device 200 of the present invention comprises a magnet device 102 mounted on and following the shaft 101, an inductor 103 (sensing device) and a processing device 104. The sensor 103 is connected to the processing device 104 through a connection line 118, and the processing device 104 is connected to an automobile ECU304(Electronic Control Unit, also called "driving computer", "vehicle-mounted computer", etc.) through a line 119. The sensor 103 senses the movement of the magnet device 102 and transmits a signal to the processing device 104 through a connection line 118, the processing device processes the signal, judges the gear position of the shift shaft and sends gear information (or preprocessing information) to the ECU304 through a line 119, the ECU304 operates the automobile according to different gear information or preprocesses events, such as processing an event E (i +1) and/or processing an event E (i-1), before the gear P, and the accelerator brake hook is ready to be lowered; when moving from position P (3) to P (4), the vehicle starts to prepare for starting, and the accelerator is increased.

one embodiment shown in FIG. 4 depicts a specific structure of the processing device 104 of FIG. 3: comprising a digital-to-analog conversion circuit 401 and a processing unit 402, all of which are connected by

lines

403, 405, 407 and perform data transmission. The digital-to-analog conversion circuit 402 senses the motion signal in the form of an analog signal from the sensor 103 received via the line 118, converts the motion signal in the form of an analog signal into a motion signal in the form of a digital signal, and transmits the motion signal to the processing unit 402 via a line 405, and the processing unit 402 processes the motion signal in the form of a digital signal (see fig. 6A-6B in the processing process).

fig. 5 details a specific structure of the processing unit 402 in fig. 4, and as shown in fig. 5, the processing unit 402 includes a processor (or CPU)501, a register 502, a memory 503, an input/output line 504, and a bus 505, and the processor 501, the register 502, the memory 503, and the input/output line 504 are connected to the bus 505 through

connections

506, 507, 508, and 509, respectively. Memory 503 may store programs (instructions), parameters (e.g., voltage or PMW values in fig. 1), and data (including digitized electronic signals); the register 503 may store (or buffer) parameters and data, such as the gear values P (1), P (2), P (3), and P (4), etc., and the corresponding signal values N (1), N (2), N (3), N (4), their order, etc.; the input/output line 504 may receive input signals to the processor 501 and may send signals from within the processor 501, for example, to the ECU 304. The register 604 may provide and maintain signal states for one or more CPU cycles of operation based on the contents stored in the register so that the processor 602 may perform operations within the CPU cycles of operation.

By executing the program stored in the memory 503, the processor (or CPU)501 can control the operations of the register 604, the memory 606, and the input/output line 504, and can perform read/write operations on the register 604 and the memory 606, such as reading or updating the signal values N (1), N (2), N (3), and N (4) corresponding to the gear values P (1), P (2), P (3), and P (4). Input/output lines 504 may receive input signals from digital to analog conversion circuit 401 and send output signals to ECU 304. To perform the comparison logic, the processor (or CPU)501 includes at least a logic operation unit (not shown) having a comparator that can perform a comparison operation of receiving the input signal from the digital-to-analog conversion circuit 401 and two sources previously stored in the memory 503 and generate a comparison result, and the processor (or CPU)501 can determine a subsequent operation based on the comparison result, and more particularly, based on the comparison result, the processor (or CPU)501 can generate a desired state control signal and trigger signal (or trigger pulse signal) and send them to the output 407.

FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic diagrams of analog signals sensed by the sensor of the present invention;

fig. 6A depicts the output signal of the inductor 103 along two functional lines (601 and 602) resulting from the change in magnetic flux and/or the change in magnetic field in both the Bx and By dimensions. Specifically, as magnet assembly 102 continues to rotate about axis 101, inductor 103 responds to changes in magnetic flux density and/or magnetic field along the Bx and By dimensions, respectively, produced By magnet assembly 102, and produces an electrical signal (or output voltage) that follows a cosine-shaped function 601 and a sine-shaped function 602 based on the changes in magnetic flux density and/or magnetic field along the Bx and By dimensions. These two

function lines

601 and 602 can be observed from an oscilloscope if the output of the inductor 103 is fed to the oscilloscope as the magnet assembly 102 continues to rotate about the axis 101. In the coordinate system as shown in FIG. 6A, the X coordinate represents the change in the rotational angle of the shaft 108, while the Y coordinate represents the change in voltage on the cosine-shaped function line 601 and sine-shaped function line 602. As one example, the sensor 103 may be implemented using a commercially available 3D hall sensing device, but using only its processing power in two dimensions (i.e., the X and Y dimensions). This use of off-the-shelf circuit practices saves circuit design cost and reduces circuit design time.

FIG. 6B depicts the voltage output following the linear function 610 generated in a calibration (or simulation) procedure that is performed prior to installation or use of the position sensing system 100 in the field. In performing the calibration (or simulation) procedure, a processing device (e.g., processing device 106 including processing unit 504) processes two sets of analog electrical signals that conform to a cosine-shaped function line 601 and a sine-shaped function line 602 (shown in FIG. 6A) to produce a voltage output that conforms to a linear function line 610. It should be understood that the voltage changes shown in fig. 6B are output/electronic signals proportional to the magnetic flux density changes Bx and By along the X and Y dimensions. In the coordinate system of the linear function line 610 as shown in fig. 6B, the X coordinate represents a change in the rotation angle on the rotation shaft 108, and the Y coordinate represents a change in the voltage on the linear function line 610.

Specifically, in the processing device 106, the digital-to-analog conversion circuit 402 receives two sets of analog electronic signals (conforming to the cosine-shaped function line 601 and the sine-shaped function line 602) from the inductor 103, converts them into two sets of digital electronic signals, and transmits the two sets of digitized electronic signals to the processing unit 402 (via the input/output lines 504 in the processing unit 504). After receiving the two sets of digitized electronic signals, the processor (CPU)501 in the processing unit 402 stores them in the memory 503, and then converts the two sets of digitized electronic signals into a set of electronic signals that conform to the linear function line 610 as shown in fig. 7B. A processor (CPU)501 in the processing unit 402 converts the two sets of digitized electrical signals by using a set of mathematical formulas:

(1) and outputting the voltage.₁(V.₁) Angle function m x (angle) + b m x θ + b

(2)tan(θ)＝sin(θ)/cos(θ)＝Bx/By

(3)θ＝arctan(θ)＝arc(sin(θ)/cos(θ))＝arc(Bx/By)

(4) And outputting the voltage.₁(V.₁)＝m x arc((sin(θ)/cos(θ))+b＝m x arc(Bx/By)+b

(5) And outputting the voltage.₂(V.₂)＝m x arc(kx(sin(θ)/cos(θ))+b＝m x arc(kx(Bx/By))+b

In the steps reflected by the five mathematical formulas above, m, b and k are constants of three calibrated/simulated linear functions, where m represents the slope of the linear function and b defines the starting point of the output relative to the measured angle; and k is a constant used to adjust/compensate the function line 610 in order to make the linearity of the function line 610 accurately reflect the angular position range when the operating condition changes; sin (θ) and cos (θ) represent

function lines

602 and 601 shown in FIG. 6A, respectively; equation (4) represents the voltage output shown by function line 610 in FIG. 6B; and equation (5) represents the voltage output adjusted/compensated using a constant k. When k is 1, equation (4) is equal to equation (5). By setting different constants k in response to changes in operating conditions, the two reference voltages on function line 610 are adjusted/compensated so that the width and offset (or position offset) of the two-state signal can be adjusted/compensated.

in actual use, the method for determining the respective positions of the shaft 101 when the sensing device 200 is rotated comprises the following steps:

in step 609, start: the vehicle starts and the sensing device 200 starts to operate.

In step 611, the sensing device 200 senses rotation of the shaft 101.

In step 612, the local positioning position p (i) is determined: the sensing device 200 first determines the local position P (i) of the shaft 101, such as P (1), P (2), P (3) or P (4); the vehicle control system will keep the positioning information from the last stop of the vehicle and the processor 501 will retrieve the positioning value from the memory 503 when the vehicle is restarted.

In step 613, a signal value n (i) corresponding to the local positioning position is extracted: the processor 501 retrieves the positioning value p (i), and the corresponding signal value N (i), such as N (1), N (2), N (3) or N (4), from the memory 503.

In step 614, the direction of movement is determined: when the shaft 101 rotates, the sensor 103 senses the movement of the magnet assembly 102 on the shaft 101 and sends a varying signal value N to the processing assembly 104, and the processor 501 compares the signal value N with a local signal value N (i) for determining the direction of movement of the shaft 101: when the signal value N is greater than the local signal value N (i), determining that the shaft 101 moves to the next location P (i + 1); when the signal value N is smaller than the local signal value N (i), it is determined that the shaft 101 moves toward the previous location P (i-1).

In step 615, the signal value corresponding to the next localization value is extracted: when the processor 501 determines the direction of the movement of the shaft 101, the signal value N (i-1) or N (i +1) corresponding to the next position P (i-1) or P (i +1) in the direction is read from the memory 503.

In step 616, it is determined whether there is a pre-action: when the processor 501 determines whether the next position P (i-1) or P (i +1) is P1 or P4; if yes, go to step 617; if not, go to step 619.

In step 617, a pre-actuation control signal is issued to the ECU 304; step 619 is performed.

In step 619, it is determined whether the next position fix is reached: processor 501 compares signal value N with the next signal value N (i-1) or N (i +1), which are the same or within a predetermined range of differences, to determine whether shaft 101 reaches the next position P (i-1) or P (i + 1); if yes, go to step 620; if not, step 615 is repeated.

In step 620, the positioning value is updated: if processor 501 determines that shaft 101 has reached a previous location P (i-1) or a subsequent location P (i + 1); the location P (i-1) or P (i +1) is updated to the local location P (i).

In step 621, the signal value corresponding to the local positioning value is updated: the processor 501 defines the signal value N (i-1) or N (i +1) of the reacquired localization value P (i-1) or P (i +1) as the local signal value N (i).

In step 622, it is determined whether the shaft 101 is stopped at the positioning position: processor 501 determines that shaft 101 is at the local position when the dwell time of shaft 101 at the local position p (i) is at least a predetermined time period (e.g., 100ms), and the present inventors define the dwell state as a steady state. Wherein the dwell is determined by the local signal value n (i) remaining constant for a period of time, e.g., 100 ms; if yes, step 623; if not, the previous step 613 is repeated.

In step 623, the positioning information is launched to the ECU 304: when the shaft 101 is in a steady state in a certain position p (i), i.e. indicating that the shaft 101 is in a certain gear (P, R, N or D), the processor 501 sends this gear information to the vehicle ECU304 via the input/output line 504, which can be differentiated by different voltage values V or duty cycle signals (or other signals) with different duty cycles, e.g. 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% duty cycles.

In step 624, wait or end: the sensing device 200 waits for the next rotation of the shaft 101 or the end of the vehicle stopping operation.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of the movement of the shaft 101 from the local position Pi to the next position P (i +1) and/or the previous position P (i-1) according to the present invention.

For example, the determination case where the positioning position P (2) shown in fig. 7A was previously moved to P (1) or moved backward to P (3): when the shaft 101 is at the positioning position P (2), it can move to the positioning position P (3) in the direction of the arrow 701, and can also move to the positioning position P (1) in the direction of the arrow 702, and for this case, the sensing device 200 of the present invention performs sensing and determination by the following method: first, as shown in step 612, the local positioning value of the axis 101 is determined to be P (2), i.e., point B of the linear function in fig. 7A. In step 613, the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (2) corresponding to the positioning value P (2) from the memory 503. When the shaft 101 rotates, the direction of movement is first determined as step 614: the sensor 103 senses the change signal value N after the shaft 101 rotates in real time and sends the change signal value N to the processor 501, and the processing device 104 compares the change signal value N with a local signal value N (2); when the shaft moves in the direction of the arrow 701, the signal value N is greater than N (2), and the shaft is judged to move to the next positioning P (3) in the direction of the arrow 701; when the signal value N is smaller than N (2) when the shaft moves in the direction of the arrow 702, it is judged that the shaft moves in the direction of the arrow 702 from the previous orientation P (1).

When the processing device 104 judges that the shaft 101 moves along the 701 direction, extracting a signal value N (3) corresponding to the next positioning P (3); when the change signal value N is equal to the signal value N (3) (or within a predetermined difference range), it is determined that the shaft 101 reaches the position P (3). When the shaft 101 stays at the position P (3) for 100ms, i.e. the change signal value N equal to the signal value N (3) does not change (or changes within a predetermined difference range) within 100ms, the processing device 104 considers that the shaft 101 has reached a steady state at the position P (3), and the processing device 104 sends a gear information to the vehicle ECU.

When the processing device 104 judges that the shaft 101 moves along the direction 702, extracting a signal value N (1) corresponding to the next positioning P (1); when the change signal value N is equal to the signal value N (1) (or within a predetermined difference range, for example, the difference is 1mm), it is determined that the shaft 101 reaches the location P (1). When the shaft 101 stays at the position P (1) for 100ms, i.e. the signal value N is equal to the signal value N (the change of the signal value N of 1 does not change (or changes within a predetermined difference range) within 100ms), the processing device 104 considers that the shaft 101 has reached a steady state at the position P (1), and the processing device 104 sends a gear information to the vehicle ECU.

The processing device 104 updates the local positioning to P (3) or P (1); the next moving sensing method repeats the previous steps.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of the movement of the shaft 101 from the local position Pi to the last positions P (i + N) and/or the previous positions P (i-N).

Fig. 7B shows a case where the shaft 101 is shifted from the position P (2) directly to P (4) without stopping P (3) in the middle. The specific sensing steps are as follows: when the shaft 101 is located at the location P (2), the processor 501 recognizes the location P (2) as a local location, and the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (2) corresponding to the location P (2) from the memory 503; when the processor 501 determines that the sensed signal value N is greater than the local positioning value N (2), that is, when the shaft 101 moves in the direction of the arrow 701, the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (3) corresponding to the next positioning P (3) from the memory 503, and when the changed signal value N is equal to N (3), the processor 501 determines that the shaft 101 reaches the positioning P (3), and the processor 501 updates N (3) to a new local signal value; shaft 101 does not stay in position P (3) long enough to reach a steady state; when the judgment shaft 101 continues to move, the direction of re-judging the movement of the shaft 101 may be to move to the positioning position P (3) along the arrow 701, or to fold back to the positioning position P (1) along the arrow 702, which is assumed to move to the positioning position P (3) along the arrow 701; at this time, the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (4) corresponding to the next location, i.e., the location P (4), from the memory 503, and determines that the shaft 101 reaches the location P (4) when the changed signal value N is the same as the signal value N (4); when the signal value N stays on the signal value N (4) for a sufficient time, it is judged that the shaft 101 reaches the steady state of the positioning P (4), and the processor 501 sends the shift position information to the ECU 304.

In practice, the shaft 101 directly slides over P (2) from the positioning position P (1) to the positioning position P (3), or slides over P (2) from the positioning position P (3) to the positioning position P (1), or slides over P (3) from the positioning position P (4) to the positioning position P (2) is the same sensing and judging method as the above; furthermore, sliding from the positioning position P (1) over P (2) and P (3) to move the positioning position directly to P (4), or sliding from the positioning position P (4) over P (2) and P (3) to move the positioning position P (1) directly is the same determination method as the above, except that the local positioning position and the local signal value need to be updated twice when positioning the positions P (2) and P (3).

In the present embodiment, the shaft 101 is a shift shaft of an automatic transmission vehicle, and a plurality of shift shafts are positioned as four gears of the automatic transmission vehicle: the P gear, the R gear, the N gear and the D gear are respectively a parking gear, a reverse gear, a neutral gear and a forward gear (some automobiles also have an S gear and a motion gear). The invention can pre-judge the shaft 101 before the shaft is positioned from the local to the last positioning P (4) and/or the last positioning P (1), and the ECU can pre-operate the vehicle after receiving the pre-judged signal, thereby improving the reaction speed of the vehicle and increasing the driving sensitivity.

As shown in fig. 7C, when the shaft 101 is located at the location P (2), the processor 501 recognizes the location P (2) as a local location, and the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (2) corresponding to the location P (2) from the memory 503; when the processor 501 determines that the sensed signal value N is smaller than the local positioning value N (2), that is, the shaft 101 moves in the direction of the arrow 702, the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (1) corresponding to the positioning P (1) from the memory 503, and when the sensed changed signal value N reaches only a difference value (for example, 80%) between N (1) and N (2) or exceeds a preset value, that is, reaches a1 point a of the linear function in fig. 7C, the processing unit 402 sends a preprocessing command to the ECU304, and the ECU304 starts to prepare for a preprocessing event in advance, that is, prepare for lowering the throttle and the brake hook before reaching the P range.

Similarly, when the shaft 101 is located at the location P (3), the processor 501 recognizes the location P (3) as a local location, and the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (3) corresponding to the location P (3) from the memory 503; when the shaft 101 moves, the processor 501 determines that the sensed signal value N is greater than the local positioning value N (3), that is, the shaft 101 moves in the direction of the arrow 701, the processor 501 retrieves the signal value N (4) corresponding to the positioning P (4) from the memory 503, the processing unit 402 sends a preprocessing command to the ECU304 when the sensed changed signal value N reaches only a difference value (for example, 80%) between N (3) and N (4) or exceeds a preset value, that is, the point D1 of the linear function in fig. 7C, the ECU304 starts to prepare for a preprocessing event in advance, the automobile starts to prepare for starting, and the accelerator is increased.

The motion function shown in fig. 1 is ideally simulated and in fact the operating signal measured by sensor 103 deviates from that shown in fig. 1 due to manufacturing tolerances and wear in use. The processing means of the present invention updates the current local value stored in the memory 503 according to the signal value measured each time.

As shown in fig. 7D, when the shaft is sensed to be in a steady state at position P (1) (which can only be in a steady state at the position due to the mechanical arrangement of the shaft 101), but its local value a "has a voltage value V1" that is less than the voltage value V1 simulating the local value of the measured local value a, or the sensed local value a ' and voltage value V1 ' are greater than the voltage value V1 simulating the local value of the measured local value a, the processor 501 stores the local value a ' or a "that is greater than or less than the analog value in the memory 503 for use as a subsequent sensed local value. By analogy, the sensed local values of the positions P (2), P (3), P (4) are also updated in the same way.

It should be noted that: the method and the sensing device are suitable for judging and positioning the automatic transmission automobile with multiple gears among different working states.

The automatic transmission automobile at least has P, R, N and D four gears, and even further comprises an S gear and the like. The working states of an automobile engine, a gearbox and a control system at P, R, four gears of N and D are different: and the D gear is a forward gear, and when the D gear is used, the automobile control system obtains corresponding transmission ratio under the control of the actuating mechanism according to different vehicle speed signals and oil circuit signals, and the transmission is changed on different forward gears, so that the automatic continuous speed change function is realized, and manual gear shifting is not needed.

And when the shift lever is positioned in the N gear, the power between the engine and the gearbox is cut off and separated, and the power is not transmitted. And when the gear lever is positioned at the gear R, the reverse gear oil circuit of the hydraulic system is switched on, and the driving wheel rotates reversely to realize reverse gear running. The P gear is a parking gear, the engine is flamed out at the moment, meanwhile, the brake hook is hooked on the parking gear, and the automobile is braked.

The method and the device are suitable for the situation that the engine and the gearbox of the automobile are switched randomly between different working states, and not only are the pre-judgment and the positioning of different gears in the forward gear. The gears in different states can be continuously shifted or shifted in a skipping way, for example, the gear can sequentially pass through the R gear and the N gear from the P gear to reach the D gear, and can also be directly shifted from the P gear to the D gear without staying in the N gear and the R gear of the intermediate gear; and when the D gear is automatically shifted up and down, the transition from the N gear is not needed every time.

While the present invention will be described with reference to the particular embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that many variations of the method and apparatus for sensing multiple positions using a sensing device of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present teachings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that there are different ways of varying the parameters of the disclosed embodiments of the invention, such as the size, shape, or type of elements or materials, that fall within the spirit and scope of the present claims.

Claims

1. Method for determining a position of a movement of an object under test (101), the object under test (101) having a plurality of locations P (i) (i)) 1, 2, …, m) in the movement, the plurality of locations being adjacent in succession, the object under test (101) being movable from a local location P (i) (i)) to a subsequent location P (i) +1) or to a preceding location P (i-) (i) ((1, 2, …, m)) in each case corresponding to a signal value n (i) ((i) (),

characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

determining a local positioning P (i) of a measured object (101) and a local signal value N (i) corresponding to the local positioning P (i);

when the measured object (101) moves from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), the changed signal value N is sensed and output corresponding to the movement of the measured object (101);

comparing the sensed signal value N with a local signal value N (i) for determining whether the object under test (101) moves from a local position P (i) to a subsequent position P (i +1) or from the local position P (i) to a previous position P (i-1);

judging whether the measured object (101) reaches the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1);

after confirming that the measured object (101) has arrived from the local location P (i) to the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1); updating the location P (i-1) or P (i +1) to a local location P (i);

the signal value N (i-1) or N (i +1) of the reacquired localization value P (i-1) or P (i +1) is defined as the local signal value N (i).

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

the initial signal values N ° (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m) of the object under test (101) at each position p (i) are stored.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

after the movement of the measured object (101) from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) is confirmed, comparing the changed signal value N with the signal value N (i +1) corresponding to the next positioning P (i +1), and when the changed signal value N is equal to the signal value N (i +1) or within a preset difference range, determining that the measured object (101) reaches the next positioning P (i + 1); or

After confirming that the measured object (101) moves from the local position P (i) to the previous position P (i-1), comparing the changed signal value N with the signal value N (i-1) corresponding to the previous position P (i-1), and determining that the measured object (101) reaches the previous position P (i-1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the signal value N (i-1) or within a preset difference range.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterized by the steps of:

and judging whether the object to be measured (101) is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

5. The method of claim 4, comprising the steps of:

setting a signal value corresponding to a change in a subsequent location P (i +1) or a previous location P (i-1) of the object (101) to be measured as a local output value N (local),

and judging whether the local output value N (local) is kept unchanged within a preset time period or not, wherein the local output value N (local) is used for determining whether the measured object (101) is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

6. The method of claim 2, comprising the steps of:

and when the residence time of the measured object (101) at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1) is judged to be at least a preset time period, determining that the measured object (101) is in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when the signal value n (i) (j ═ 1, 2, …, m) remains unchanged for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the object under test (101) is in a stable state at the corresponding location p (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

if the measured object (101) moves from the local position P (i) to the subsequent position P (i +2) through the subsequent position P (i +1), determining that the measured object (101) does not reach a steady state at the subsequent position P (i +1), or if the measured object (101) moves from the local position P (i) to the previous position P (i-2) through the previous position P (i-1), determining that the measured object (101) does not reach a steady state at the previous position P (i-1);

and judging whether the object to be measured (101) is in a stable state after reaching the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2).

9. The method of claim 5, wherein:

and when the residence time of the measured object (101) in the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2) is judged to be at least a preset time period, determining that the measured object (101) is in a stable state in the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2).

10. The method of claim 6 or 9, wherein:

the predetermined period of time is 100 ms.

11. A method as claimed in claim 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, characterized by the steps of:

and when the measured object (101) is confirmed to be in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), an indicating signal is generated to indicate that the measured object (101) is positioned at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

12. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of:

when the measured object (101) arrives from the local location P (i) to the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) and is in a stable state, determining the local output value N (local) of the measured object (101) at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1);

13. The method of claim 12, further performing the steps of:

14. The method of claim 12, further performing the steps of:

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein at each location p (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m) an event e (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m) needs to be processed, characterized in that the following steps are also performed:

when the object (101) to be tested leaves the local position P (i) but before reaching the next position P (i +1) or the previous position P (i-1), the event E (i +1) or E (i-1) is prepared in advance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at the location p (i) (1, 2, …, m) event e (i) (1, 2, …, m) is to be processed, further comprising the steps of:

17. The method of any one of claims 1-9, 15 and 16, wherein:

the object to be measured (101) is a shift shaft of an automatic transmission automobile;

18. A sensor device for sensing a position of movement of an object under test (101), the object under test (101) having a plurality of locations P (i) (1, 2, …, m) in movement, the plurality of locations P (i) (1, 2, …, m) being adjacent in sequence, the object under test (101) being movable from a local location P (i) to a subsequent location P (i +1) or to a previous location P (i-1), for each location P (i) corresponding to a signal value n (i) (1, 2, …, m),

characterized in that the sensing device comprises:

a sensing element (103), the sensing element (103) sensing the movement of a magnet device (102) arranged on the object to be measured (101) and generating a signal value N which changes in proportion to the movement stroke of the object to be measured (101) to indicate the movement position of the object to be measured (101); the sensing element (103) outputs a changing signal value N when the object under test (101) moves from a local position P (i) to a subsequent position P (i +1) or to a previous position P (i-1); and

a processing device (104); the processing device (104) is connected with the sensing element (103), determines a local position P (i) and a local signal value N (i) corresponding to the local position P (i) of the measured object (101), and compares the sensed signal value N with the local signal value N (i) for judging whether the measured object (101) moves from the local position P (i) to a next position P (i +1) or from the local position P (i) to a previous position P (i-1);

the processing device (104) judges whether the measured object (101) reaches the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1);

the processing device (104) confirms that the measured object (101) has arrived from the local location P (i) to the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1); updating the location P (i-1) or P (i +1) to a local location P (i);

the processing means (104) define the signal value N (i-1) or N (i +1) of the reacquired localization value P (i-1) or P (i +1) as the local signal value N (i).

19. A sensing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the processing device (104) is provided with a storage circuit (503) for storing the signal value N (i) (i is 1, 2, …, m);

the sensing element (103) is a Hall sensing circuit.

20. A sensing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the processing device (104) compares the changed signal value N with the next signal value N (i +1), and determines that the measured object (101) reaches the next location P (i +1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the next signal value N (i +1) or within a predetermined difference range; or

The processing means (104) compares the changed signal value N with the previous signal value N (i-1) and determines that the measured object (101) reaches the previous location P (i-1) when the changed signal value N is equal to the previous signal value N (i-1) or within a predetermined difference range.

21. A sensing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein:

the processing device (104) determines whether the signal value N corresponding to a change in the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1) of the object (101) to be measured remains unchanged for a predetermined period of time, thereby determining whether the object (101) to be measured is in a stable state after reaching the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

22. A sensing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the processing device (104) judges whether the measured object (101) is in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

23. A sensing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein:

and when the processing device (104) judges that the residence time of the measured object (101) at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1) is at least a preset time period, determining that the measured object (101) is in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

24. A sensing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

the sensing element (103) senses the speed of the measured object (101) when reaching the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1); when the speed is zero, the processing device (104) determines that the measured object (101) is in a stable state at the next location P (i +1) or the previous location P (i-1).

25. A sensing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

when the processing means (104) determines that the signal value N remains unchanged for a predetermined period of time, the processing means (104) determines that the object under test (101) reaches the position p (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m) in the steady state.

26. A sensing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

the processing device (104) judges the speed of the measured object (101) moving from the local positioning P (i) to the next positioning P (i +1) or the speed of the measured object (101) moving from the local positioning P (i) to the previous positioning P (i-1); when the speed is not zero, the processing device (104) determines that the measured object (101) does not stay at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1); the processing device (104) judges whether the position P (i +2) after the object to be measured (101) arrives or the position P (i-2) before the object to be measured is in a stable state.

27. A sensing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein:

when the processing device (104) judges that the residence time of the measured object (101) in the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2) is at least a preset time period, the processing device (104) determines that the measured object (101) is in a stable state in the next positioning P (i +2) or the previous positioning P (i-2).

28. A sensing apparatus according to any one of claims 21-27, wherein:

when the processing device (104) judges that the measured object (101) is in a stable state at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1), the processing device (104) generates an indication signal which indicates that the measured object (101) is positioned at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

29. A sensing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

when the measured object (101) reaches the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1) from the local positioning P (i), the processing device (104) determines and stores the local output value N (local) of the measured object (101) at the next positioning P (i +1) or the previous positioning P (i-1).

30. The sensing device of claim 25, wherein:

the processing means (104) simultaneously retain the previous output value N (i) and the new local output value N (local).

31. A sensing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein:

the processing means (104) updates the previous output value N (i) to a new local output value N (local).

32. A sensing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the processing device (104) stores the initial signal value N ° (i) (i ═ 1, 2, …, m) of the object (101) at each position p (i).